Sunday, December 20, 2009

Holidays in London are always festive and busy. The high street shopping seems to be mainly for the brave, as the stores become elbow to cheek with holiday cheer. Saturday my friend Robert and I took a walk to Harrods department store for a yearly ritual to see the window displays. They have gotten away from anything religious as the diversity of the city has grown. This year Harrods is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz. Just a few blocks away from Harrods, I noticed this doorstep and couldn't help but wonder....hmmm....not quite a Ruby Slipper, but there must be a story here. London had a rare snow a few days ago adding a little holiday atmosphere. Wizard of Oz music is pumped out onto the sidewalks and inside the store. "Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high..." In this rendition, Harrods dropped full force onto the witch. You can only imagine what this young man was thinking. And Dorothy got a little gussied up as well as a few other characters.The witch never looked more beautiful, and not wicked at all.There is just a little drama and opulence in this version.The scarecrow,the tinman, the cowardly lion, and the monkeys all had an extreme makeover. Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore! Going inside, the store and mainly the food halls were jammed with shoppers with full wallets. There were many chocolatiers displaying exotic chocolates and goods to sit beside them.And there was no shortage of the ubiquitous Harrods green shopping bags. I managed to get away only with photos and no green bags. The next stop was the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is just down the road. Another magical vision appeared before us as a stunning bride was leaving the Brompton Oratory from what looked like a storybook wedding. Best wishes to them! Later on in the evening as I looked out of my hotel window, the streets of London were lit up like a Christmas tree as the holiday traffic filled the streets. If you look closely, you'll see the Emerald City of Harrods lit up in green....a slight movement of my camera gave a vision of candy canes Happy Holidays from London!